Policies
Policies
Summary of all policies here
Advocates
Participants have the right to use an advocate of their choosing (including an independent advocate) at any point, including when making a complaint or discussing an incident. You can find an independent advocate using the Disability Advocacy Finder at:
https://askizzy.org.au/disability-advocacy-finder
Privacy
VASS only collects information that it needs to provide services. All information is kept confidential – i.e. securely, and not shared with anyone without your permission. Sometimes VASS will share information, but will ask for consent first, and will not share information without consent. Only staff members that need to will have access to the information. Participants can ask to see the information that VASS holds about them. In some cases, such as threats to the life of the participant or someone else, VASS is allowed to breach privacy. To read a copy of VASS’s privacy policy:
Email ndis@vass.org.au or
Call (03) 9359 2861 and ask for a copy of the policy, or for someone to explain this to you verbally and/or in your preferred language
Feedback and Complaints
VASS welcomes all feedback, including complaints, as an opportunity to learn. Anyone, including clients, carers/ family members, potential clients, staff, volunteers, other service providers, and community members, can give feedback about any aspect of VASS services at any time. All feedback and complaints will be treated confidentially and may be made anonymously if you wish. Feedback can be made:
-using our feedback form or complaint form (or Arabic version) – ask for a copy as per the details below
-in person at our Head Office, C1, 1 -13 The Gateway, Broadmeadows, Vic 3047
-over the phone on (03) 9359 2861
-via email at: ndis@vass.org.au
Arabic, Assyrian, Chaldean and Persian speaking workers are available. If you need another interpreter (including sign language), or form translated into another language, or Braille, please let us know.
To complain about VASS’s NDIS Services externally you can contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission by:
-calling 1800 035 544 (free call from landlines) or TTY 133 677. Interpreters can be organised by calling TIS National directly on 131 450.
-calling National Relay Service and ask for 1800 035 544.
-Completing a complaint contact form https://forms.business.gov.au/smartforms/servlet/SmartForm.html?formCode=PRD00-OCF
Conflict of Interest
As VASS is registered to provide Support Coordination and other NDIS supports, this presents a potential conflict of interest as it could benefit VASS if you were referred to our services by our Support Coordinator, or vice versa. However, our services may not be the most appropriate one for you, or in line with your choice.
VASS has some policies and processes in place to manage conflict of interest. These include: the VASS NDIS Conflict of Interest Policy, the Conflict of Interest Register, and giving you at least three suitable options for every support in your NDIS Plan. You can ask for a copy of these policies.
Each staff member also completes a Declaration of Private Interests form, so that it is clear whether there are any other potential conflicts to be managed. Furthermore, staff are not paid on number of clients, so there is no financial incentive to refer clients to ourselves. VASS is a not-for-profit organisation, our purpose is to is address the social, cultural and welfare needs of the Arabic speaking background (ASB) communities in Victoria.
You do not have to choose any of our other services for your NDIS supports if you are receiving Support Coordination from VASS, or vice versa. We will treat you the same either way.
If you have a question about this, please feel free to ask as per the details below.
Support Coordination Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement
Incidents
VASS values safety as the highest priority. Participants, staff, family members or others can let us know if they have experienced an incident, issue or something that made them feel uncomfortable. If participants report an incident it will not negatively impact their services. VASS wants to learn from all experiences to provide a better service. Participants can have an advocate support them in this process.
When an incident happens, VASS has to complete internal incident reporting, and depending on the incident, may need to notify the NDIS Commission or the Police. VASS will work to resolve or redress the harm caused by the incident, and will keep you informed of how we do this.
As well as telling VASS, if you have experienced abuse or neglect, you can contact the NDIS Quality and Safety Commission as per the details above (under Feedback), or the National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline. The National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline is an independent and confidential service for reporting mistreatment of people with a disability.
Phone: 1800 880 052
TTY users, call 133 677, then ask for 1300 00 3224
Emergency management
VASS has policies and procedures in place to minimise the impact of emergencies and disasters, and to support the safety of participants and staff. The overarching Emergency Management policy can be found here:
Download our Emergency Management policy here
Participants also have individual emergency management plans. If participants are unsure of their plan, they can contact their key worker and ask to have it given or explained to them in their preferred method. If participants are unsure of their key worker, they can:
Call: 03 9359 2861
Email: ndis@vass.org.au
Price Guide
VASS charges fees according to the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, the latest of which can be found here:
https://www.ndis.gov.au/providers/pricing-arrangements
This document changes from time to time.